Tips for Choosing a User Name for Your Etsy Account

The user name you choose on Etsy is yours for life. And when you decide to open your Etsy shop, your user name becomes your shop name, so be sure to pick a good one!

Etsy generates two web addresses for your shop, based on your user name. They look like this: http://username.etsy.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/username.

When choosing your user name, keep these points in mind:

Pick a name that is easy to remember, easy to spell, and contains no more than one or two words that flow well together.

If you already have a following elsewhere — for example, at craft fairs, in art galleries, or somewhere else — consider using your own name as your user name. Using your own name may make it more difficult to maintain your privacy on the site, but it can help you capitalize on your real-world successes.

Consider choosing a name that reflects what you sell. For example, if you specialize in selling refrigerator magnets, you may want to include the word magnet in your user name. Keep in mind, though, that this leaves little room for growth if you decide to expand your selection beyond the magnetic.

Note that you can create multiple accounts to run more than one Etsy storefront — say, one for your thriving refrigerator magnet business and another for your hand-knit fingerless gloves enterprise. If you go this route, be aware that you must disclose all your user names in the user profile for each account.

Select a name that reflects your style — especially if you plan to open an Etsy shop. It won’t do to select an elegant, refined name if you plan to sell wacky hand-knit balaclavas.

Etsy prohibits the use of words deemed racist or profane in user names.

You can change your user name, but it involves opening a second account and then migrating to it. If all you do is buy stuff on Etsy, setting up a second account may not be a big deal. But if you’ve opened an Etsy shop and developed a following under your old user name, it can be a major ordeal. How?

For one thing, there’s no easy way to transfer items for sale from one shop to another; you have to do it by hand (and get hit with a second set of listing fees).